Still Life
by LH-chan
Summary: Spike and Faye, roughly a month after "Pierrot Le Fou". Nursing injuries, friendly banter, sparring practice, and lousy food...just a day in the life. (Spike + Faye. Could be a continuation to "Ballad in Plain D", but stands alone just as well.)


Author's Note:  
  
Guess what, I don't own Cowboy Bebop! ::waits for gasps of surprise...hears none:: I was right, you did know that already. =^_~=  
Also among the large quantity of things I don't own, is the song "Still Life", which belongs to Bryan White; I just like using song titles for the titles of my Bebop fics. =^_^=  
  
I suppose, if you like, you could think of this as a continuation of my other fic "Ballad in Plain D", I didn't write it with that in mind at all...but now that I think about it, it would work out okay. You can also just read it as a stand alone and ignore "Ballad...". (Though I wish you wouldn't, because I think "Ballad..." is probably the best fic I've written, so I wish everyone would read it. =^_~=) In any case, enjoy. =^_^v  
  
  
  
  
  
Still Life  
LH-chan '02  
  
  
Spike Spiegel stared out into the expanse of stars through the bridge windows of the Bebop, as the ship drifted through space; his reflection, clad in loose black pants and bandages, standing among them.  
He stretched gingerly, wincing as various recent injuries protested the movement; pausing to catch his breath as sharp new waves of pain washed over him. Overriding the previous dull throbbing, that only his ability to ignore had convinced him he was up to doing more than lying on the couch.  
First training session in a while, he mused, rotating his shoulder, and trying to ignore the bite of the stitches holding the bullet wound there closed. I spend half my life getting back in shape after injuries.  
  
Indeed, his last battles with the assassin Tongpu had left him laid up for longer than he'd cared to keep track of. If he had, he wouldn't have liked the number of weeks anyway.  
As far as he was concerned, it was exactly enough time for inactivity to be driving him nuts.  
Therefore, Spike decided he was going to start his training regimen again, whether or not doing so happened to be a good idea was irrelevant.  
  
He tried a few slow kicks and punches, testing which stiff and battered muscles would take the punishment. Before movement behind him, reflected in the glass of the windows, caught his eye.  
He turned, slowly, to face Faye Valentine.  
  
She leaned heavily against the doorframe, wearing her usual leisure clothes--grey shorts and a billowy sort of white top. Her stance betraying the fact that her own injuries, from crashing Redtail into the amusement park where Spike fought Tongpu--minor, but only when compared with Spike's--were clearly still bothering her.  
"What?" asked Spike.  
"Nothing really," said Faye, flippantly, "just bored. Then I saw you'd actually moved from the couch for the first time in a month...I thought something big might be up."  
"And Jet said something about dinner being ready soon," she added.  
"Anything good?" asked Spike hopefully.  
Faye raised an eyebrow at him in a manner that said distinctly: "you've got to be kidding".  
Spike sighed mournfully, his hope of eating actual meat dying; and then turned back to his reflection and his training.  
  
Faye dropped into the nearest chair and sat watching him, her green-eyed gaze reflected in the window glass.  
"Can't you hang around somewhere else?" said Spike. "I hate trying to work out with someone sitting around watching."  
"Fine," said Faye, smiling as though she had the perfect reply. "I'll join you then."  
"You want to spar with me?" said Spike incredulously.  
"Sure, why not...its something to do," said Faye, standing, rather slowly, against the protest of various injuries.  
"I don't fight women," said Spike.  
"Oh, really," said Faye, her eyes flashing as she approached him. "What do you do if the woman doesn't know that?"  
She swung a fist at his head. He dodged, but only just, countering with a sweeping kick at her feet, more out of instinct than any real intent.  
She skipped back a step, evading him, then kicked back at head height. He blocked the kick with a forearm.  
  
Their motions grew more fluid as they moved, pain of injuries ignored and forgotten in the manner of skillful, trained fighters.  
Spike smiled, beginning to enjoy the friendly combat in spite of himself. "I guess if she doesn't know, I'll just have to send you after her."  
Faye returned his smile, countering his punch as she did so. "Relying on me, are you? When all else fails, you expect me to save your ass."  
"No more than you expect me to save yours," said Spike, kicking out again.  
"Are you kidding?" Faye teased. "Somehow, my memories of being 'saved'"--she made quote marks in the air with her fingers as she dodged Spike's punches--"by you, involve nearly being shot, or avoiding grenades."  
Spike kicked at Faye's head again, and she ducked, kicking out at his other foot as she did so; sending him to the floor, with a jolt of pain from his injured ribs that took his breath away.  
Faye darted to his side, realizing too late that she'd gotten too caught up in the match and forgotten what bad shape her opponent was in.  
"Shit, Spike, you okay?"  
  
Still catching his breath, Spike kicked out at Faye's unguarded legs, bringing her down beside him with a gasp of shock and pain.  
"You...lived, right?" he said, turning slightly to face her.  
"Oww, what? Faye asked.  
"When I saved your ass; you almost got shot and blown up," said Spike, grinning cheekily, "but you lived, right? That's just about the best you can ask for, when you get saved for free."  
Faye glared at him dubiously.  
"And at least," Spike continued, "I never brought a two-ton pig's head down on you in the middle of a fight."  
"You lived right," Faye replied coolly, barely concealing a smile. "That's really the best you can ask for, getting saved for free."  
  
"Hey, dinner's ready." Jet's voice interrupted, its owner standing in the doorway, smiling ever so slightly.  
"What is it?" asked Spike, making a half-hearted attempt at getting to his feet.  
Jet offered him a hand up. "Special," he said, "beef and bell peppers."  
"Let me guess," said Faye, allowing Jet to help her to her feet as well. "It's special, because there's no beef."  
Jet was definitely smiling now. "Its the best you can expect, when you're eating for free."  
  
  
* * * *  
  
Just a moment in time... 


End file.
